Strong-field terahertz-optical mixing in excitons

Driving a double-quantum-well excitonic intersubband resonance with a terahertz (THz) electric field of frequency \omega_{THz} generated terahertz optical sidebands \omega=\omega_{THz}+\omega_{NIR} on a weak NIR probe. At high THz intensities, the intersubband dipole energy which coupled two excitons was comparable to the THz photon energy. In this strong-field regime the sideband intensity displayed a non-monotonic dependence on the THz field strength. The oscillating refractive index which gives rise to the sidebands may be understood by the formation of Floquet states, which oscillate with the same periodicity as the driving THz field.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

On the Influence of Pulse Shapes on Ionization Probability

We investigate analytical expressions for the upper and lower bounds for the ionization probability through ultra-intense shortly pulsed laser radiation. We take several different pulse shapes into account, including in particular those with a smooth adiabatic turn-on and turn-off. For all situations for which our bounds are applicable we do not find any evidence for bound-state stabilization.Comment: 21 pages LateX, 10 figure

Spitzer Observations of Bok Globule B335: Isolated Star Formation Efficiency and Cloud Structure

We present infrared and millimeter observations of Barnard 335, the prototypical isolated Bok globule with an embedded protostar. Using Spitzer data we measure the source luminosity accurately; we also constrain the density profile of the innermost globule material near the protostar using the observation of an 8.0 um shadow. HHT observations of 12CO 2 --> 1 confirm the detection of a flattened molecular core with diameter ~10000 AU and the same orientation as the circumstellar disk (~100 to 200 AU in diameter). This structure is probably the same as that generating the 8.0 um shadow and is expected from theoretical simulations of collapsing embedded protostars. We estimate the mass of the protostar to be only ~5% of the mass of the parent globule.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures, emulateapj format, accepted for publication in Ap

(Sub)mm Interferometry Applications in Star Formation Research

This contribution gives an overview about various applications of (sub)mm interferometry in star formation research. The topics covered are molecular outflows, accretion disks, fragmentation and chemical properties of low- and high-mass star-forming regions. A short outlook on the capabilities of ALMA is given as well.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, in proceedings to "2nd European School on Jets from Young Star: High Angular Resolution Observations". A high-resolution version of the paper can be found at http://www.mpia.de/homes/beuther/papers.htm

Neoadjuvant Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy for Resectable Mucosal Melanoma

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant checkpoint inhibition (CPI) has recently demonstrated impressive outcomes in patients with stage 3 cutaneous melanoma. However, the safety, efficacy, and outcome of neoadjuvant CPI in patients with mucosal melanoma (MM) are not well studied as MM is a rare melanoma subtype. CPI such as combination nivolumab and ipilimumab achieves response rates of 37-43% in unresectable or metastatic MM but there is limited data regarding the efficacy of these agents in the preoperative setting. We hypothesize that neoadjuvant CPI is a safe and feasible approach for patients with resectable MM. METHOD: Under an institutionally approved protocol, we identified adult MM patients with resectable disease who received neoadjuvant anti-PD1 +/- anti-CTLA4 between 2015 to 2019 at our institution. Clinical information include age, gender, presence of nodal involvement or satellitosis, functional status, pre-treatment LDH, tumor mutation status, and treatment data was collected. Outcomes include event free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), pathologic response rate (PRR), and grade ≥3 toxicities. RESULTS: We identified 36 patients. Median age was 62; 58% were female. Seventy-eight percent of patients received anti-PD1 + anti-CTLA4. Node positive disease or satellite lesions was present at the time of treatment initiation in 47% of patients. Primary sites of disease were anorectal (53%), urogenital (25%), head and neck (17%), and esophageal (6%). A minority of patients did not undergo surgery due to complete response (n=3, 8%) and disease progression (n=6, 17%), respectively. With a median follow up of 37.9 months, the median EFS was 9.2 months with 3-year EFS rate of 29%. Median OS had not been reached and 3-year OS rate was 55%. ORR was 47% and PRR was 35%. EFS was significantly higher for patients with objective response and for patients with pathologic response. OS was significantly higher for patients with pathologic response. Grade 3 toxicities were reported in 39% of patients. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant CPI for resectable MM is a feasible approach with signs of efficacy and an acceptable safety profile. As there is currently no standard approach for resectable MM, this study supports further investigations using neoadjuvant therapy for these patients

Global prevalence and genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus infection in 2015 : A modelling study

Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Elsevier LtdBackground The 69th World Health Assembly approved the Global Health Sector Strategy to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030, which can become a reality with the recent launch of direct acting antiviral therapies. Reliable disease burden estimates are required for national strategies. This analysis estimates the global prevalence of viraemic HCV at the end of 2015, an update of—and expansion on—the 2014 analysis, which reported 80 million (95% CI 64–103) viraemic infections in 2013. Methods We developed country-level disease burden models following a systematic review of HCV prevalence (number of studies, n=6754) and genotype (n=11 342) studies published after 2013. A Delphi process was used to gain country expert consensus and validate inputs. Published estimates alone were used for countries where expert panel meetings could not be scheduled. Global prevalence was estimated using regional averages for countries without data. Findings Models were built for 100 countries, 59 of which were approved by country experts, with the remaining 41 estimated using published data alone. The remaining countries had insufficient data to create a model. The global prevalence of viraemic HCV is estimated to be 1·0% (95% uncertainty interval 0·8–1·1) in 2015, corresponding to 71·1 million (62·5–79·4) viraemic infections. Genotypes 1 and 3 were the most common cause of infections (44% and 25%, respectively). Interpretation The global estimate of viraemic infections is lower than previous estimates, largely due to more recent (lower) prevalence estimates in Africa. Additionally, increased mortality due to liver-related causes and an ageing population may have contributed to a reduction in infections. Funding John C Martin Foundation.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Ramucirumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma after platinum-based therapy (RANGE): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial

Few treatments with a distinct mechanism of action are available for patients with platinum-refractory advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma. We assessed the efficacy and safety of treatment with docetaxel plus either ramucirumab-a human IgG1 VEGFR-2 antagonist-or placebo in this patient population